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China is on the verge of an end to absolute poverty. Now for the really hard part
- Poverty alleviation was given new prominence in 2015 when President Xi Jinping pledged to lift those in the greatest hardship by 2020
- Despite the expense and resources spent on improving the lives of poor rural Chinese, there is more to be done to help them adjust and keep them in work
Reading Time:6 minutes
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Jifu Jifuzi was living in an isolated village on a mountain cliff in southwestern China just as other members of the Yi ethnic minority had done for generations.
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The remote location in Sichuan province originally helped the community to avoid conflicts but ultimately it meant they were left behind as China modernised.
The family – Jifu, his wife and three adult children – were living in a mud house with a fire in the centre of the room and their chickens and pigs next to their home. When it rained, the roof leaked and mountain roads were too muddy to go anywhere.
But things started to improve rapidly in 2018, after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture – one of the poorest parts of the country – and called on cadres to speed up poverty alleviation efforts.
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Roads were built to connect the mountain villages and houses were constructed to ensure each person had the standard 35 square metres of living space. Villagers finally had access to relatively modern amenities: a flush toilet, running water, television and, for better hygiene, their animals were raised away from the living quarters.
“I am very grateful for all this. I didn’t pay for anything,” said Jifu Jifuzi, 50, who moved to a five-bedroom house with his family in October last year.
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